ON THE ODOURS OF PLANTS. 293 TREATMENT OF GREENHOUSE PLANTS IN OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER. BY A GARDENER IN THE PEAK OF DERBYSHIRE, HAVING been a subscriber to your valuable work for a number of years, may I occupy a few lines on the treatment of greenhouse plants during the months of October and November. I am sorry that I am too late in entering upon the subject for this year, but it may be of use in future years. I have often heard gardeners complain that those two months are the worst in the year for the health of greenhouse plants. It generally happens (as at the present time) that we have very mild damp weather for weeks together, and, as a matter of course, most persons like to keep their houses as cool and airy as possible; but in giving great quantities of air at such times, without fire heat to dry up the dampness of the atmosphere, they often find their plants, particularly such as are in a growing state, thickly studded with beads like dew drops all round the leaves, even in the middle of the day, which are certain to ensue in mildew and mouldiness; and if the plants once get these pests amongst the stock, it is not easily got rid of for some time, therefore prevention is better than cure. My plan is simply this: at this season of the year I look over my entire stock of plants to see which wants water, every alternate morning; this I think is quite often enough; and on those mornings I always light a fire the first thing, and raise a gentle heat, (at the same time giving all the air possible); one fire is quite sufficient, and I let it go out about ten o'clock, then it has plenty of time to dry up the superabundant moisture and get cool before night. With this attention I never find either mildew or mouldiness on any plant; the only pest that I have is the mealy bug in the stove, which I can do nothing with in the way of destroying. I have tried all manner of things that I can think of, such as tobaccowater, soft-soap liniment, mercurial ointment, neatsfoot-oil, lime and sulphur, soot and lime. Now I have tried them all in different ways, such as mixing two or more sorts in different proportions, but all to no avail; some of them have brought the leaves entirely off without injuring the pest in the least. I once saw recommended water at 180 degrees Fahrenheit for destroying the mealy-bug; I tried that, but I shall never do it again. I was very happy that I only tried one plant; I gave it a slight syringe, which very soon sent it to oblivion. If any of your correspondents can give me any information how to destroy the insect but not injure the plant it will greatly oblige me. ON THE ODOURS OF PLANTS, AND THE MODES OF OBTAINING THEM. NEROLI OR ORANGE FLOWER. Few odours have a more extensive use in the art of perfumery than this: it is in no way altered by separation from the plant; hence, when on the handkerchief, it does not alter or become faint like many other perfumes; it forms the basis of the famed Eau de Cologne. It is procured from the Citrus Aurantium 294 ON THE ODOURS OF PLANTS. flowers by distillation, also from the same by maceration in any fat body: the former yields what is found in the market under the name of Oil of Neroli, and as such is used in scenting soaps, and for other secondary purposes; the latter, being somewhat finer in fragrance, has a more delicate use. By digesting in alcohol it gives Extrait de Fleur d'Orange, or Extract of Orange Flowers,-a handkerchief perfume surpassed by none. It resembles the original so much that, with closed eyes, the best judge could not distinguish the scent of the extract from the flower. In the first process, namely by distillation, the water which comes over is put back into the still upon fresh flowers, and the operation is repeated several times; the Oil of Neroli finally floats on the surface, and is separated by a funnel. The water being left is filtered; and, as it is highly charged with the odour of the flower, finds a sale under the name of Orange Flower Water, and is used, like Elder Water, for the skin, and as an eye lotion. Orange procured from the same plant as the above, but from the rind of the fruit instead of the flower, is expressed in the same way as lemons; the peel of the fruit is rasped, in order to crush the little vessels that imprison the oil or odour; it may also be procured by distillation. Its abundance in the peel is shown by pinching a piece near the flame of a candle; the true essential oil that spirts out ignites with a brilliant illumination. It has many uses in perfumery, more particularly in that preparation called "Lisbon Water," also in "Eau de Portugal," both of which are solutions of the oil of orange peel in proof spirit, to which is added a small quantity of lemon and vervain and ambergris by the Parisians. It is what is called a particularly clean scent, sharp, and refreshing. ROSE. This queen of the garden loses not its diadem in the perfuming world. The oil of Roses, or as it is commonly called, the Otto or Attar of Roses, is abstracted by various processes from the Cabbage Rose in Turkey, Persia, and India; the finest is imported from Ghazepore in the latter country. For obtaining it, the procurers at each place have their own mode of operation; the best method, however, is to stratify the flowers with a seed containing a fat oil; they will absorb the essential oil of Roses, and swell a good deal if the flowers are changed repeatedly. They are then pressed and the product allowed to stand for a time, the otto rises to the surface, and is finally purified by distillation. Pure otto of Roses, from its cloying sweetness, has not many admirers, it is moreover likely to produce headache and vertigo in this state; when diluted, however, there is nothing to equal it in odour, especially if mixed in soap, to form Rose soap, or in pure spirit to form "Esprit de Rose." The former preparation not allowing the perfume to evaporate very fast, we are not so readily surfeited with the smell as in the latter. The finest preparation of Rose as an odour, is made at Grasse, in France; here the flower is not treated for the otto, but simply by maceration in fat, as mentioned with other flowers. The Rose Pommade thus made, if digested in alcohol, yields Esprit de Rose of the first order, very superior to that which is made by the addition of otto to spirit. It is difficult to account for this difference, ON THE ODOURS OF PLANTS. 295 but it is sufficiently characteristic to form a distinct odour. It is never sold by the perfumer, he reserves this to form part of his recherché bouquets. Some wholesale druggists have, however, been selling it to country practitioners for them to form extemporaneous Rose-water, which it does to great perfection. Roses are cultivated to a large extent in England, near Mitcham in Surrey, for perfumers' use, to make Rose-water; the odour of the English flower is not strong enough to use for any other purpose. Though the dried rose-leaves are used for scent bags, they retain but little of their native fragrance. In the season when successive crops can be got, they are gathered as soon as the dew is off, and sent up to town in sacks. When they arrive they are immediately spread out on a cool floor, otherwise if left in a heap they will heat to such an extent in two or three hours, as to be quite spoiled; to preserve them for use they are immediately pickled; for this purpose the leaves are separated from the stalk, and to every bushel of flowers, equal to six pounds, one pound of common salt is thoroughly rubbed in, the whole becomes a pasty mass, and is finally stowed away in casks. In this way they will keep almost any length of time without seriously injuring their fragrance. For rose-water, which is best prepared from time to time, take 12 lbs. of pickled Roses, and 2 gallons of water, place them in a still, and draw off two gallons, this product will be the "double distilled Rose-water" of the shops. RHODIUM (Convolvulus scoparius).—A fine odour is drawn by distillation from the wood of this plant; it is but little used in perfumery, and is extracted more with an idea of adulterating the otto of Rose, as it somewhat resembles it in odour, than for any other purpose. ROSEMARY (Rosmarinus officinalis).-The odour is more aromatic than sweet, it is procured from the leaves by distillation, and consumed largely in combination with other, scents for perfuming soap. "Rosemary-water" and " Rosemary-oil" are a good deal used, with an idea that they possess the virtue of restoring hair; how far this is correct we know not, but we have little faith in such nostrums. SANDAL. "The Sandal tree perfumes, when riven, The axe that laid it low." This is an old favourite with the lovers of scent; it is the wood that possesses the odour. Some of the finest comes from the Island of Timor and China, and on account of its fragrance, is often fashioned into lady's toilette-boxes and jewel-cases, &c. Many persons use Sandal-wood shavings to make scent-bags for drawers. When distilled the oil of Sandal is easily obtained, it is wonderfully strong and penetrating; the oil of Sandal mixed with pure alcohol forms the perfumers' Extrait de bois de Santal." This preparation requires a little Rose to sweeten it for handkerchief use; it mixes well with soap, and then forms what they call Sandal-wood soap, and with charcoal and a little nitre it forms Sandal pastilles for burning, to perfume apartments, which, however, are but indifferent in odour; the oil of Sandal is often used to adulterate otto of Rose, with which it unites favourably; Sandal wood, with its derivations, is one of the most ancient perfumes. 296 ON DOUBLE FLOWERED STOCKS. VERBENA, OR VERVAINE, gives one of the finest perfumes with which we are acquainted; it is well known as yielding a delightful fragrance by merely drawing the hand over the plant; some of the little vessels or sacks containing the essential oil must be crushed in the act, as there is little or no odour by merely smelling at the plant. On account of the great value of the real article, it is scarcely if ever used by the manufacturing perfumer; but it is most successfully imitated by mixing the oil of Ginger-grass (Andropogon Schoenanthus) with pure spirit, the odour of which resembles the former to a nicety. Ginger-grass, or Lemon-grass grows abundantly in India, and the oil is procured by distillation. So cheap is it that "Extract of Verbena" is found in every fancy shop in the kingdom; this, however, is but a plain solution of the Ginger-grass oil in spirit. The finest Extrait de Vervaine," of the French perfumers, contains, besides that oil, oil of Lemons and Oranges, with the addition of a little Essence of Rose; this preparation is really a very delightful and refreshing perfume.— P. in Gardeners' Chronicle. ON DOUBLE FLOWERED STOCKS. BY ALPHA. A GREAT deal has been stated relative to the obtaining double-blossomed stocks, but the real origin of these productions is not generally known, I therefore transmit the following particulars on the subject, which may facilitate attempts to a more general production of double flowers, not only in the tribe of Stocks, but many other flowers not yet even thought about. Double flowers are produced generally by a change of stamens and pistils into petals. This is promoted by the plant being checked in a poor soil, and sparingly watered for a time, then afterwards giving it luxuriant food and due treatment, which will tend to bring the pistil and stamens into petals, and so produce double flowers. Double flowers being once obtained may be perpetuated by raising a supply from cuttings, slips, and grafts. This may be done with the Tenweek Stock, Wallflower, &c., but their original existence was from seed obtained from single flowers, as the double-flowered do not bear seed. The greater the check given, the more powerful will be the effect of after luxuriance when shifted into a rich soil, placed in due heat, properly supplied with water and every requisite attention; with the greater vigour there will be a flow of crude sap, and the flower is not only then produced larger, but the crude sap' has a tendency to lower the state of existence, and the stamens and pistils being higher in the scale of existence, are reduced to a more inferior condition of petals. Sometimes the scale of existence is so far reduced, that what had been originally the nucleus of a branch, but elevated by elaboration acting on the vital energy into a state of petals, stamens, and pistils, is not only reduced to petals and become double, but will shoot again into a branch, as we have had instances with Brown's Superbe, and other roses. The double Lychnis diurna has the stamens changed into ON DOUBLE FLOWERED STOCKS. 297 red petals, and the pistil into green leaves, and the quantity of each greatly increased. In the Rhododendron the flowers are produced from the terminal bud of the shoot; if the summer and autumn have been warm, the buds swell larger, and we have a branch of flowers instead of a branch of leaves the ensuing spring; but it is always difficult to say, till the bud is evolved, whether we shall have leaves or flowers. In raising double or full flowers from seed, therefore, we should carefully guide our attempts by experience; in procuring the seed, we must get it from the most double flowers we can, as the progeny always bears more or less resemblance to the parent. In the Dahlia the flower is not, strictly speaking, full; it belongs to the compound class, in which a great number of florets are arranged on one common receptacle; in single Dahlias, and other flowers of this class, the ray or outer row of florets has the petals fully evolved and coloured; in the florets of the centre or disk, the petal is only in the state of a small tube, inside of which the stamens are situated. Rich cultivation forces these tubes to assume the state of coloured petals; sometimes tubular, as in the quilled Dahlias, and sometimes flosculose or flattened, as in others; sometimes the stamens are changed into petals, sometimes they are abortive, but generally both these and the pistillum are unchanged. and hence there is little difficulty in getting seed from Dahlias. Plants that are full of double flowers at one time, when the plant is vigorous, will change and come more single when checked by bad weather, or when the plant begins to ripen and get woody. To return to the raising of seedling double flowers: Roses, Pinks, Carnations, and Ranunculus change the stamens only into petals, and sometimes these are only partially so in very full flowers, and seed is comparatively easy to be obtained from them; we should, as before observed, select from the fullest and best flowers. In the Anemone the pistils are changed into petals, the stamens unchanged; seed of these can, therefore, only be obtained from flowers not perfectly full, or by impregnating flowers nearly single, with a tendency only to fulness, with the anthers of full flowers. In Stocks and Wallflowers both stamens and pistil are changed into petals; and the best resource is to save seed from those blossoms which have a tendency to fulness, by having a petal or two more than usual. In growing Stocks from seed they will be more likely to be double, if the plants are checked first by a deficiency of nourishment, whether of water or manure, and afterwards excited to luxuriance by a plentiful supply; and the greater the change, the greater the likelihood of success, Old seed, or seed dried, gives a check; we have had instances of old neglected seed, which had been reckoned very inferior when the seeds were fresh and new, come almost every plant double, when a little had been left over and sold when old. The seed for raising double flowers of any sort can hardly be too old, if it will grow at all; and the weak plants, first stunted and then luxuriated, will be found most successful; the seed should be sown on heat, and the weak plants most cared for. After flowers have once been produced double or full, the habit of coming double will be retained, if kept so by rich cultivation. When any variety has begun to sport, the plants should be raised off those individuals which have |